Clark County reported the fifth COVID-19 fatality this week Friday in data that showed a 12.1 percent increase in new cases from the week before, according to Clark County Public Health.
The latest death was a man in his 70s with underlying health conditions, according to Public Health, which has reported new deaths for four days in a row. The county’s death total from COVID-19 is now 60, according to Public Health.
There were 39 new cases reported on Friday, bringing the average for the week to about 36 new cases per day and the total for the week to 250 new cases.
That seven-day total is up 12.1 percent from the 223 new cases in the seven days ending Sept. 25. The growth in new cases has been surging in recent weeks, rising from 182 new cases in seven days ending Sept. 18 and 178 new cases in the seven days ending Sept. 11.
The county has recorded 3,548 new cases to date.
“Our recent COVID-19 activity rates can be discouraging,” Public Health said in a post on social media. “But the rate hasn’t always been high, and we can get it back down.”
There were 29 people in Clark County hospitalized with COVID-19 and 15 people hospitalized awaiting test results. The number of active cases, which tracks confirmed cases still in their 10-day isolation period, rose to 147.
The county’s COVID-19 activity rate as of earlier this week was 86.18, into the “high” range, but the Public Health post noted that the activity rate — which measures the total number of new cases per 100,000 reported over 14 days — was as low as 19.45 when the county applied to enter Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan.
“About that time is when case numbers locally and across the state began to surge.
Our rate has been elevated ever since,” the post said. “But after climbing as high as 99.7 cases per 100,000, we got the rate down by taking steps to slow the spread of COVID-19 – wearing face coverings, maintaining physical distancing, and keeping gatherings small and infrequent.
“We can all do our part to bring the rate back down and get our schools open,” the post said. “It’s not forever, but for now.”
